Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a medical condition that occurs in the first three years of an infant’s life. Although it is not a progressive illness, it can cause major difficulties for anyone who is affected by it. It causes impairments in muscle control, speech, and motor skills.

One of the common causes of Cerebral Palsy is alcohol or drug use during pregnancy. Sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS or syphilis can also lead to Cerebral Palsy. Chromosome abnormalities and poor eating habits during pregnancy can also lead to CP. Although there are some things that cannot be controlled, such as premature birth, there are a variety of ways to protect your child while in the womb. Observing healthy living habits is a great way to help prevent birth defects.

Cerebral Palsy can also be contracted after birth. One of the most common ways that a child contracts CP after birth is through abuse. If the child is physically abused during the first three years of his or her life when the child’s brain is at its peak in development, he or she can develop CP. However, abuse is not the only form of physical harm that can cause a child to be diagnosed with CP. Accidents, including car accidents, are a leading cause of CP. Basically any accident that causes brain trauma in the first three years of life can cause CP.

The damage caused by the injury interferes with the communication between the brain and the body. There are also different degrees of severity in CP. In milder cases, there might only be slight awkwardness in the child’s movement or hand control. When in it is severe, it can make muscle control virtually impossible, which severely affects movement and speech. In its most severe form, the patient could require a wheel chair and a voice transmitting device. Constant care, which can be quite costly, is also usually a necessity when a patient has very severe CP.

Although every case of CP is different, there are a few symptoms that are common to most cases. Muscle tightness is the most common symptom and affects a large percentage of those diagnosed with CP. Involuntary movement is also quite common as well as difficulty with walking, running, and climbing stairs. Writing and other fine motor skills could also be affected.

It is important to note the CP is not a life threatening disease. Most people with CP live long lives. Since it is caused by a one-time trauma to the brain, it will not get worse over time. If proper therapy is started early enough in the child’s life, he or she can go on to live near-normal adult lives. Learning to cope with the illness is the best way to deal with it and to bring some sense of normality back into your life. Physical therapy is a very crucial element, especially at the onset of the illness. This can work to teach the brain to work with the body in order to facilitate movement.

If your child has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and you believe it was a result of medical negligence during or after birth, consult a birth injury lawyer. CP can be a very costly illness, so a lawyer will be able to get you the money you need to provide the best possible care for your son or daughter.